Cai-Lian Tam
Lecturer
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Monash University Sunway Campus
Nowadays, more and more people are suffering from depression due to stressful life styles and environment. Commit suicide has become a common phenomenon in our country Malaysia. According to statistical figures given by the Psychiatric Association of Malaysia, there are about 2500 people commit suicide each year and majority of them suffered from depression. The Health Ministry reported that there were seven people having mental problems each day in Malaysia in 2005. The ministry was worried at the situation and would take great effort to reduce the rate of mental problem among Malaysians. Actually what are the main factors that caused people to suffer from mental problems and what are the effective ways to overcome it?
One who suffered from depression might probably be due to heavy work load and high expectation for themselves. In fact, quite a number of students tend to have the hidden symptoms of depression. They struggled so hard in order to achieve excellent results in their examinations. They have set in their mind that through performing well or passing with flying colors in their examinations will be the best way to please their parents. These students who extremely emphasize for more As’ in their examinations have neglected the importance of having leisure hours to relieve tension. As we all know, all work and no play makes Jack a “dull” boy. We are only human being which is made up of flesh and not a machine or robot. If our students keep on studying for many hours without rest, and at the same time facing with all sorts of pressures from parents and teachers, after sometimes they might just collapse all of a sudden due to the unbearable disturbance in their emotions.
Now, what will happen if an individual really suffer from depression? Will there be any significant symptoms? The answers are definite. If to observe carefully, we would notice that there were changes in behavior and character if someone suffered from depression. The particular person can become emotional and get irritated easily, sometimes they will burst into tears without concrete reasons. They cannot concentrate or focus in their job/study. Besides, they might have sleepless nights, lost of appetite, having unrealistic beliefs and for severe case they might have the tendency to commit suicide.
As a counseling psychologist, I have come across many cases where a brilliant individual can just collapse all of a sudden due to the hidden pressures mentioned above. It is indeed a sad thing to know if someone is attacked by depression or other types of mental sickness that will lead them to commit suicide. According to a research carried out by the American Psychological Association in 2000, among all different types of depressions, major depression disorder actually is the most common type of diagnosable mood disorder, with estimates of lifetime prevalence ranging from 10% to 25% for women and from 5% to 12% for men. In reality, an estimated of 120 million people worldwide suffered from depression (Edson, 2001). Depression is so common that it has been labeled as the common type of psychological problems.
In the scenario of our country Malaysia, many of the students do have periods of sadness, worry and anxiety especially during examination seasons. A large number of students, including children from the primary level complained that they could not cope with heavy school work load. They can easily feel down, cry, lose interest in things and find it hard to concentrate. At the very worst, they even have the thought of committing suicide.
In order to save your young generations from attacking by depression, parents, teachers and educators must really reconsider to slow down their pace and restructure their goal in the system of education. No doubt to achieve success in academic performance is important in childrens' life, however, to have space to practice their interest, and to have sufficient time for relaxation is equally important. In the process of educating, we should emphasize more on the development of self esteem, and the mould of good personality. We have to teach children how to love, how to care and how to contribute. Focusing or expecting too much on academic performance will only create endless anxiety in children’s life.
Individuals need to put in effort as to avoid themselves from having depression. They must give themselves the opportunity to enjoy life. Do not be stingy to care and concern for your own lives. Let yourself have the freedom to play and think creatively. Although depression is a diagnosable psychological disorder, it is quite a tedious procedure to recover. Many people don’t seem to understand that those who are chronically depressed, cannot simply “shake it off “. Despite effective treatment, one who suffers from depression have to forgo their study/job and fully rest at home. Any stressful event will easily lead them to the road of death. Furthermore, most people who are clinically depressed actually remain undiagnosed and untreated.
